Kevin Rudd bid to be UN Secretary-General laughed off by Turnbull Government Minister

ASPIRING uber lord Kevin Rudd is being urged to stop harassing some of the most powerful people in the world and just retire gracefully.

12/02/2016: NSW parliament house breakfast marking 8th anniversary of Kevin Rudd's stolen generations apology. Hollie Adams/The Australian

KEVIN Rudd has been urged by a Turnbull Government minister to stop harassing world leaders for the United Nations’ top job.

Poking fun at Mr Rudd’s audacious bid to replace Ban Ki-moon as the next UN Secretary-General, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton urged the former prime minister to take up a hobby that did not include pestering busy world leaders.

ON THE LIST: Rudd has Secretary-General role in his sights

“No world leader is safe – when ‘Kevin Rudd’ comes up on their caller ID they must grit their teeth and say ‘please not again’,’’ Mr Dutton said yesterday.

“Kevin, mate, cobber please stop driving these people crazy – do what other people do in retirement and play golf or buy a caravan.”

Mr Dutton said Mr Rudd thought that he could transition from Australian to world leader.

“Kevin was never happy just running Australia – he believed he was always destined to run the world,” he said. “Kevin’s ego makes Donald Trump’s look like a rounding error.”

Despite the widely held belief the next secretary-general would be from Eastern Europe, Mr Rudd is believed to have lobbied Turkey, Britain and Russia for the job.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop revealed she was questioned by delegates in Washington about Mr Rudd’s power play. Ms Bishop was in Washington with other world leaders for a global nuclear summit.

“It seems Mr Rudd has visited a number of people and expressed an interest (in the job),’’ Ms Bishop said.

The revelation is at odds with Mr Rudd’s previous comments that he was not a candidate.

And in a sign some Labor colleagues may reflect on their post-traumatic stress during his time as PM, few have gone into bat for him.